Lebanon Guerrillas Say Israeli Plan to Leave Is Their Victory

Hezbollah guerrillas on Monday described a unanimous vote by the Israeli Cabinet to withdraw from southern Lebanon by July as a historic defeat for Israel.

The Cabinet voted Sunday to withdraw its soldiers from the 9-mile-deep “security zone” they have occupied for 15 years.

Israel and Lebanon have both said they would prefer the withdrawal to come within the framework of a settlement involving Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon. But that appeared to matter little to the guerrillas.

“The decision taken by the enemy’s Cabinet to withdraw is the clearest official admission” of defeat, the pro-Iranian Hezbollah said in a statement. Its resistance operations, it said, forced Israel to make the decision.

Israel says it occupies southern Lebanon as a buffer against Lebanese guerrilla strikes on its northern territory. But it has been exhausted by nagging Hezbollah attacks. The low-level violence persisted Monday as Israel launched missile attacks on Lebanese targets in response to guerrilla assaults.

In Syria, meanwhile, a government newspaper said Israel’s decision to withdraw is meant to cause trouble in the region. Syria wants Israel out of the occupied zone but does not want it to withdraw unilaterally.

Also Monday, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal from fighters in an Israeli-backed Lebanese militia to grant them political asylum in the event of an Israeli withdrawal.

Israel has promised to ensure the safety of members of the South Lebanon Army. But officials have refused to elaborate.